The Masquerade
by tenshi noyo Ryu Taiga
Summary: Written for tvd-holidays. Stefan takes Caroline for a night out. It just happens to be to New Orleans on Halloween. She figures there are over a quarter of a million people in New Orleans alone. What are the chances she runs into Klaus? Pretty high actually. Good thing she's wearing a costume... NOTE: I don't watch Originals or TVD anymore so this is based off 2nd hand info


MASQUERADE

by tenshinrtaiga

Disclaimer: I don't own TVD or the Originals.

**Rating:** MA  
**Characters/Pairings:** Stefan, Caroline, Klaus. Caroline/Klaus  
**Word Count:** 8,864  
**Warnings:** Sexual situations (actually, to be honest, it's basically PWP). Some spoilers for TVD Season 4, nothing major.  
**Notes**: Written for **caremikaelson** at the **tvd_holidays** exchange last 2013 Christmas holiday.  
**Summary:** Stefan takes Caroline for a night out. It just happens to be to New Orleans on Halloween. She figures there are over a quarter of a million people in New Orleans alone. What are the chances she runs into Klaus? Pretty high actually. Good thing she's wearing a costume...

* * *

"This is a bad idea," Caroline stated bluntly, staring at Stefan as though he were crazy.

"Yep," Stefan agreed, nodding slightly.

There was a pause as Caroline stared at him intensely, trying to uncover his thoughts. Why was he doing this? Was it a joke? Was there an ulterior motive? What was going on? "But you still want to do it," she finally said with a sigh, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

A small smile grew on his face. "Yep."

Pouting now, Caroline crossed her arms over her chest. "Will you at least tell me why?"

Stefan frowned, giving it some serious consideration as he thoughtfully worded his response. "It was the last thing Lexi and I did together before she…"

Caroline frowned as well, dropping her crossed arms. She wanted to say something but what could she say? Stefan had been slowly getting his memories back, bit by bit. And remembering Lexi… Well, it had been like losing her all over again. What could Caroline say that would make him feel better? Nothing. "Great, guilt," she said lightly, teasing a little. If there was nothing she could say, then at least she could try and lighten his mood a bit. "Alright. Let me just pack a bag," she said with a sigh.

Looking around the room, she grabbed her small suitcase, stuffing it with a few pairs of jeans, shirts and other necessities. Opening her closet door, she nibbled on her lip in thought. She had her Halloween costume all picked out. This year, she was going to be a Greek goddess. Since it was her first year in college, it was meant to be funny; a play on the Greek system and the plethora of toga parties.

But now that her plans had changed, should she still bring it? Biting her lip in contemplation, she took it off its hanger to inspect it before folding it carefully and packing it into her luggage.

"Alright, ready," she exclaimed, getting excited for their trip.

"Great." Stefan got up from where he had been lounging on her bed. "New Orleans, here we come."

"I can't believe you talked me into this," Caroline muttered, her pale skin even paler. "Don't we get enough dead people in Mystic Falls?" she asked weakly.

Even Stefan seemed discomfited as they exited the Mortuary's zombie haunted house. "I remember it now," he said, trying to stay positive, though the grimace on his face remained.

"Hard to forget all the zombies," Caroline scathed, her hand still resting over her unbeating heart. "Now I know why it's called the scariest place in all of New Orleans."

"Actually, I think it's called that because it's located inside the Cities of the Dead," Stefan corrected, quickly regaining some of his color as they moved further away from the Mortuary.

Caroline sarcastically looked around her, eyeing the graveyards. "I hadn't noticed." Clearly, she was still sore about the whole ordeal.

Feeling bad, Stefan reached out to grip her arm. "I'm sorry. I really didn't remember about the haunted house. I thought it would be a laugh."

Instantly, Caroline immediately felt remorseful. It was hardly his fault that his memories were still scattered. "No, I'm sorry. You're trying to relive your memories of Lexi and here I am being a cry baby about a couple of zombies and ghosts."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I think you're gonna really like where we're going next." Stefan gave a mischievous smile, immediately putting Caroline on edge. It wasn't often that Stefan smiled like that and while she was glad that he seemed happy for the first time, really since Elena got together with Damon, she couldn't help but be wary of his intentions.

"Oh?" she asked, feigning casual interest. From Stefan's growing smirk, it was easy to see that she failed.

"Two words: Vampire. Ball."

Caroline blinked, processing his words before blinking again. "What?" she asked in bewilderment. "You mean…"

"Yep." Stefan smirked in amusement. "A ball where you dress up as a vampire."

Caroline waited a beat, clearly expecting Stefan to take it back, to say he was just kidding. When he didn't, she frowned. She opened her mouth to speak but Stefan held up a hand to ward her off.

"Relax, there's more to it than just being a vampire." He smiled at her knowingly. "There are the more stereotypical vampire costumes – black leather, fangs – but it's also more like Carnival."

Caroline instantly perked up, interested. "As in Venice?"

Stefan smirked knowing he had her attention. "Mhmm."

The blonde's eyes grew wide at the possibilities. "We need costumes," she realized suddenly, looking down at her toga and Stefan's clothes; he hadn't even bothered to dress up.

"Already ahead of you," he said, resuming his walk out of the cemetery. "Earlier I went out and had a shop stay open for us."

Caroline gave an excited squeal, clamping her hands together until they were white. There were few things she loved more than shopping and parties.

Following Stefan, he led them to a small shop, tucked into the back of an alley, barely visible to those passing by on the street. Caroline frowned, worried about what kind of shop Stefan was leading her to, but those worries quickly faded once she stepped inside. It was dark and it had the same feel as the rest of the city, something that could only be described as New Orleans style. It felt rich with history and magic, like a taste in the air, something that burned on her tongue.

"Welcome," an accented voice said from behind her, startling the blonde vampire. It had been a while since anyone had been able to sneak up on her. Being a vampire and having lived in Mystic Falls made her vigilant. And yet this wisp of a woman had managed it.

"Loretta-Delphine," Stefan greeted with a nod.

"Salvatore," she nodded back formally before making her way past the duo into the depths of the clothing shop.

"I met Loretta back in the '40s," Stefan explained quietly to Caroline. "She's a dark magic user but one willing to associate with vampires on occasion. She owed me one."

Caroline blinked in surprise. "You remember all that?"

Stefan grimaced. "Not exactly. I read it in my journal," he admitted.

Caroline frowned, a bit disappointed. She was about to say something when Loretta spoke up.

"Are you two going to just stand around looking like idiots or are you going to get dressed for this thing?" she asked crossly, frowning.

Startled, the two made their way towards her as she led them to the back. "Sixteenth century, eighteenth century, nineteenth century," she said pointing to the different racks. Caroline could barely contain her excitement as she saw the huge, historical gowns. The mens racks were considerable smaller than the womens but Caroline barely noticed, already skimming through the gowns.

"No seventeenth century?" she asked in curiosity. Hearing no response, she turned to look but found Loretta already gone. "Creepy," she murmured, continuing to thumb through her options.

Stefan grunted in dissatisfaction. "I forgot how horrible the styles were back then."

Caroline gasped, picking out gorgeous gown after gorgeous gown, unable to decide. A gold one, a blue one, a red one, a floral one – so many choices! "You're crazy," she murmured. "These are beautiful."

Stefan pulled out an outfit and cleared his throat, gaining Caroline's attention. She eyed the clothing before letting out an unladylike snort. "You'd look good in lace," she tried to say, but struggled in her attempt not to laugh.

Stefan gave her an un-amused look before returning the costume to the rack.

"Didn't you live in the 1800s? Should you be used to this?" Caroline asked, sorting through her options, nibbling on her lower lip in contemplation. She loved them all and wished that she could take them all home with her. With a surreptitious look over her shoulder, she fingered the material, wondering how much they would cost and whether it would be possible to compel them. Frowning, she recalled Stefan's comment about Loretta's use of dark magic and pulled herself away from the dresses.

"Yeah, but we wore simpler clothes back then. These were meant for parties. Plus, they're European. It took time for European styles to come to America," Stefan explained.

"If only your memories of being a vampire came as easily as your memories of being a human," Caroline pondered aloud thoughtfully.

Stefan grunted in agreement, pulling out a uniform that didn't seem as bad as the others; off-white with a red and blue jacket over it and gold buttons. It came with a hat that held a large red feather, but he could simply choose not to wear that. The best part was that the uniform had pants; most of the other outfits contained only shorts. "Got mine," he declared, turning to show Caroline.

She hummed in approval. "But you have to wear the hat."

"No," he said flatly, no room for argument in his tone.

Caroline pouted but knew it was a useless cause. She turned and picked up a costume of her own. "I've got mine as well." Hers was an eighteenth century pale blue patterned gown. The hips were ridiculously wide, as was the style, with lace ¾ sleeves. Intricate detailing went from her shoulders, down her front to her hips before curving out slightly and going down to the floor.

"Good, you've picked," Loretta said, startling the two once more. "Changing rooms are over there." She eyed their selections. "I'll pick out some masks to match." Turning on her heel, the small woman disappeared into the racks once more.

Stefan and Caroline eyed each other before taking Loretta's advice and going to the changing rooms.

Caroline's dress was heavy and she had difficulty changing. The dress came with a tag that had instructions, helping a bit, but the metal cage that went around her hips to create the dress's shape was heavy, difficult to maneuver and all around a pain in the ass. After spending a good ten minutes fighting with the thing, she finally got it settled and put the gown on. Getting it to lie properly over the cage once again took some finagling, but with a relieved sigh, she was finally dressed. Nibbling on her lower lip, she played lightly with her hair, debating whether to change it. She had done it up in a large, messy updo of curls and braids – perfect for her Greek goddess look. Tilting her head to the side thoughtfully, she decided that it was perfect for her Venetian Carnival look too.

Stepping out, she stopped at the sight of Stefan in his costume. Facing away from her, she could still see his entire outfit, minus the hat, and she had to admit that he wore the uniform well. She gave a wolf whistle, grinning at his startled gaze. It was his turn to look her over, impressed with what he saw.

"You look great," he complimented with a grin.

"It was a pain in the ass to get on," she grumbled good-naturedly before walking over to the full length mirror to look at herself in proper light.

She gave a start. She really did look amazing. The soft blue complimented her eyes and the white lace made her pale skin look paler and more beautiful. There was a rosy flush to her cheeks from wrestling with her gown and because she had fed recently. She hoped the blush stayed.

"Can you help me?" she asked, turning back to Stefan. At his confused look, she showed him her back and the mess of ribbons. "I can't do up my corset."

"Ah." Stefan winced slightly in memory of the garment before reaching over and swiftly tugging the ribbons into place, his hands remembering what to do despite the many years. Caroline took a sharp breath at the tight confinement causing Stefan to pause. "Do you need me to loosen it?" he asked.

Caroline shook her head. "No, I'm just not used to my clothes being this… tight," she explained. "It's fine, keep going."

Stefan swiftly finished up the last of the tightening, tying the ribbons neatly and then buttoning up the dress over it. "There," he murmured, admiring his work. Looking at her was like going back in time. "Shall we?" he asked, holding out his elbow for her to take.

"Wait, what about shoes?" she asked, looking down. Stefan's racks had come with a selection of boots but hers had not.

"Ah." Stefan nodded his head to the right. "Women's footwear is over there, but I have to warn you, they are not comfortable." Walking her over, she winced at the tiny shoes. She would have to squeeze her feet into them and even then, she knew that every step would be painful. Sufficed to say, they were not something she was looking forward to wearing all night. "Your hem reaches the floor. You can just wear what you're wearing now."

Lifting the hem, they looked down to see her gladiator sandals. They looked at each other before simultaneously stifling an amused smile.

"Who's going to see anyway?" she reassured herself as they walked back up front to the register, their old clothes in their hands.

"About time," Loretta spoke, not bothering to look up from the case she was peering into. She selected a mask and added it to the short rows on top of the case. "Well, don't just stand there. Pick out your masks."

Caroline stepped forward first, eyeing her choices. One immediately stood out and she quickly reached for it. It was a pale blue half mask covered in silver and matching blue beads. Stefan too had chosen a mask; a simple dark blue leather half mask that matched his uniform's jacket well.

"Thank you," he said, looking over at Loretta, tipping his mask toward her.

"Mhmm." She gave an uninterested look. "Just be back before nine am tomorrow."

"Or our carriage will turn back into a pumpkin?" Caroline joked, gently fingering her mask, enjoying the delicate beads under her skin.

Loretta raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "Or I'll charge you the price of the costumes."

Caroline's mouth popped open in an 'o' shape. "Gotcha."

The two vampires couldn't wait to make it out of the shop, the old woman creeping out even their vampire selves.

"Well, that was…" Caroline trailed off, unsure of how to finish.

"Yeah, sorry about her. I guess I downplayed how creepy she is in my journal." Stefan frowned thoughtfully. "I guess I should work on that if I start journaling again."

The pair walked down the street, Caroline following Stefan. "Where is this thing anyway?" she asked, playing with the lace of her dress, unable to keep her fingers off of it. She had never worn anything like it. She felt like a princess. The admiring looks she received from the other passerbyers didn't help either. The historical dress, New Orleans… it made her think of… No! Bad Caroline!

The blonde shook her head forcefully. She was determined not to think about that. She had warned Stefan about keeping under the radar. One night of low key fun and then they were gone, back to Mystic Falls before anyone had to find out they were there. It was a great plan made even better because the two were currently wearing masks, so even if they did run into… anyone… they wouldn't be recognizable.

"We're here," Stefan announced, standing in front of the House of Blues, tying his mask on behind his head.

Caroline barely had a minute to check it out before Stefan was already compelling their way inside. Caroline looked around, the rock music heady in her ears. She hurriedly tied her own mask, adjusting it comfortably. Most of the people were dressed to the nines in steam punk costumes or historical Dracula-esque outfits. A few had chosen to dress up minimally, wearing black leather or gothic silk and a cheap pair of fangs. There were even a couple of others dressed like her and Stefan in Venetian costumes. Plenty were wearing masks, most didn't bother.

"Lexi loved this party," Stefan yelled over the music. "Said there was nothing funnier than a vamp at a vampire party." Caroline giggled. It _was_ pretty hysterical. "I'm going to grab something to drink," he continued. "Do you want anything?" Caroline shook her head, her eyes still scanning the crowd. "We'll meet up later?"

Caroline blinked, finally drawing her eyes away to look at Stefan. "You're ditching me?" she asked, her tone almost offended.

The brunet chuckled at her look. "You're a big girl," he teased. "Besides, I didn't think you'd want me hanging around." She frowned in confusion. Stefan gave a teasing sigh. "You're single. This is a party." At her blank look, he clarified further. "I didn't think you'd want me cramping your style."

Caroline blinked in confusion, mostly at the fact that Stefan Salvatore had just said the words 'cramping your style'. Then she rolled her eyes. Opening her mouth, she intended to refute his claims. Just because she and Tyler were done didn't mean that she had any interest in moving on or hooking up or anything like that.

Stefan held up his hand, knowing what she was about to say. "Plus, I figured you would want to spend the night dancing. And I don't dance."

Now that, Caroline couldn't argue with. "So, find me later?"

Stefan nodded. "Or you can find me when you're ready to leave. If we can't find each other, we'll meet at the hotel room or if we're… otherwise occupied tonight, the costume shop tomorrow at nine."

Caroline gave him an amused look but nodded in agreement, waving Stefan off and immediately jumping into the middle of the crowd, dancing towards the center of the action.

The pounding of the beat surged through her, taking her troubles away. Stefan was right, she needed to get away. The summer had been nice, quiet. She had known that it wasn't going to last but she hadn't expected things to go to shit this quickly.

Frowning, she shook those thoughts away. No. She had one day, one night really, and she wasn't going to spend it thinking about Mystic Falls drama.

Tossing her head back, she threw herself back into the music, dancing with those that came up to her, but mostly staying by herself. It was surprisingly easy to dance, even with her large, cumbersome dress. Time passed, though she could only tell based on the changing of songs.

Finally, what she was sure was hours later, she felt her thirst rise up, the heat and the exercise making her hungrier than normal. She wanted a cold drink, but eyeing the strangers around her, she wanted a hot one too.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she made her way to the bar. She would get a water first. Hopefully that would help and then she could decide if she really needed to feed or if she could afford wait to return home for a blood bag.

Making her way to the bar, she smiled when she was noticed immediately, a cute bartender laying it on thick as he asked for her order. Asking for a water, she grinned, keeping up a friendly flirtation before grabbing her bottle and leaving, one last look over her shoulder. He was cute and it was nice being noticed, being complimented and hit on.

A pleased grin on her face, she made her way back through the crowd, this time heading for a couple of tables and booths she had seen earlier, sipping on her water. It was good that she came with Stefan. At first she had been resistant to the idea but she had needed this getaway, this time away from everyone she knew, everything complicated in her life.

"Hello, love," an accented voice said from behind her.

Caroline froze, her whole body, even her heart, stilling. Slowly, her eyes wide, she turned around. Sure enough, her suspicions were confirmed. He was wearing a black tux and a red, gold and silver checkered half mask. His lips were a dark red, one might assume as part of his costume, but she knew that that was just what he looked like.

Klaus.

Talk about a complication in her life.

* * *

Part of her wanted to run. She had sworn to herself that she wouldn't see him. It was a big city and it was one night; she was never meant to run into him. What were the odds? What were the chances? She had been so certain…

Her lips moved wordlessly, half stunned, half unbelievably pissed off at her luck.

His lips tilted in amusement. "Cat got your tongue? That's alright, I can talk for the both of us." He gave her body a scan, his eyes growing dark in heat. "I love your dress. Very… authentic."

Caroline blushed, smoothing her hands over said dress in a nervous habit.

"Why don't you introduce yourself, sweetheart?"

And just like that, Caroline's world fell.

Introduce herself?

He didn't know who she was?

Her mouth popped open in indignation.

He was standing there flirting with her and he had no idea who she was?

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Caroline. A wicked thought that she couldn't take back and couldn't get out of her head even if she wanted to.

A sly smirk came across her lips as she made faux innocent eyes at Klaus from behind her mask, looking mischievous.

"Oh, you want to play, do you?" Klaus smirked back, easily catching onto her game. "Alright. I think you'll find I'm a patient man." There was something in his eyes that made Caroline hesitate, wondering if he really did know it was her after all. Before she could contemplate this thought, he held his hand out to her. "A dance?"

Blinking, Caroline placed her hand in his automatically, startled at the offer. This wasn't exactly the kind of music she expected he would want to dance to and yet he led her deeper into the dance floor, only turning to face her once they were sufficiently crowded by others.

He gripped her hips, moving her closer. She obligingly moved, not bothering to fight him. She had to admit to being curious. Their previous dances were either waltzes or good old fashioned slow dances.

He moved them until they were only inches apart and then began moving his hips to the beat, Caroline easily matching his movements, their hips swaying from side to side, meeting each other's. Caroline didn't notice right away, the beat filling her head once more, a joyous smile on her lips, but they were beginning to move closer. In fact, she only noticed when he moved his hands from where they resting on her hips, gripping tight, to when he wrapped them around her waist, bringing her that scant inch forward until their bodies were lined up perfectly, still swaying.

Caroline blushed. She had never actually been this close to Klaus before. Pausing to think on it, she realized that that was a lie. However, those other times didn't count since she had been dying. The only time she was ever this close to Klaus was when she was in need of his blood.

Raising her hands to his chest, she tried to push him away. He let go of her easily, but didn't let her retreat, quickly snatching her hand and pulling her into a small twirl before returning her to where they were previously. She was still close but at least now there was room to breathe between them.

This time, Caroline didn't let herself be swayed by the music. She knew better than to let her guard down around Klaus and yet he had a way of disarming her with his very presence. It was better that she stayed focused or who knew what else would happen?

"Where are you from?" he asked over the music. "I haven't seen you around and I know all the vampire locals." She blinked, surprised that he could tell she was a vampire, before tipping her head, a sly smirk on her lips. He grinned in response. "Still playing that game? Alright, I'll let you have your fun. For now."

They danced for hours. Occasionally, Klaus would say something, trying to coax her into talking, but Caroline remained silent. She could tell the more she tried to resist his charms, the more amused and interested in her he became. She vaguely wondered if giving in would get him off her back, but quickly stopped that train of thought. There was no way in hell she was going to give into Klaus, dark charms or not.

Still, despite it all, she never tried to pull away from him again. They moved together all night, only taking the occasional break for a drink. Caroline tried to resist the urge for a different drink, but Klaus easily saw the hunger in her face.

"Why don't we step outside?" he asked. "Find ourselves something a little more… fresh."

Caroline hesitated. On the one hand, she didn't want to kill anyone. On the other, what vampire didn't kill? Klaus would suspect in an instant if she refused. Plus, she really was starving…

She nodded her head, following him with trepidation. It wasn't hard to find a meal, plenty of people loitering outside of the party. She waited until Klaus was distracted by his meal before quietly compelling her own, an attractive teen around her age dressed as a gaudy vampire. She kept a close watch on how much she drank and quickly stopped once the boy's heart started to slow.

When she came up, she was thankful that she'd had the foresight to compel the boy to forget about this _before_ she fed because Klaus was watching her avidly. She was extremely grateful that he hadn't heard her speak. She had started this sort of as a game, but the truth was that she didn't want to have to confront it. She didn't want to have to explain why she was enjoying spending her time with Klaus, lightly flirting and dancing the night away. This way, she was just some stranger, detached from the situation.

Caroline delicately wiped at her mouth, licking her finger of any remaining drops of blood. She realized instantly that this was a mistake when Klaus' eyes followed the path of her finger to her tongue and grew dark in lust.

Before she could blink, he had used his vampire speed to come up to her, trapping her against the alley wall. He invaded her personal space, but left an inch between them, clearly learning from earlier inside the club. She felt crowded, but not trapped and didn't know which would have been better.

He gazed into her eyes, slowly leaning forward. Caroline didn't know what to do. She knew that if she reached up and pushed him away, he would go, but at the same time… At the same time, they had been building up to this for months now, nearly a year, if she was being honest. Would it be so bad to give in? Just a little? One kiss… What could it hurt?

Caroline knew her thoughts were on a dangerous path because she honestly didn't think she could do just 'one kiss' but before she could change her mind, Klaus had already closed that last gap of distance between them.

Caroline had always thought she understood what people meant when they said they saw fireworks. She thought she had experienced that already, but in different ways. The danger of Damon, the sweetness of Matt and the heat of Tyler. This was different. Very different. This kiss with Klaus encompassed all of that and more.

She gave a small gasp, reaching up to wrap her arms around his shoulder clinging to him tightly. He used the opportunity to slip his tongue inside, deepening the kiss and pushing her harder against the wall as things got more heated.

Caroline felt like she was on fire. Everything was enhanced and she quite frankly felt woozy from the sheer sensory overload.

Klaus broke away slightly, his light pants mixing in with her own as they breathed each other's air. "My place." He phrased it half like a question, half like a demand. Luckily for him, she was in no mood to protest. With a weak nod, she agreed. He wrapped his arms around her, lifting her from the ground and, in a small gush of wind, they were off, reaching his house in less than a minute.

She should have known better. She knew that their one kiss was never going to be just one kiss. And yet, even now, even knowing how this was going to end, she couldn't bring herself to stop him; to stop herself.

Her hands roamed over his body as she trailed hot kisses down his neck. He groaned, bumping them into a wall in his distraction. She gave a light giggle before nibbling on his ear, intent on causing him even more distraction.

"You're not playing nice," he said breathily in her ear as he made his way upstairs to his bedroom.

She pulled back enough to give him an innocent 'who me?' look. He did not seem convinced. With a small shrug, she returned to her earlier activities, enjoying the act of giving him a hickey, only to watch it heal, and then doing it again.

He got his door open and, with a groan, threw her onto his bed. She bounced for a moment before looking up at him through her eyelashes causing him to groan again. She knew from experience how much he liked it when she did that. Something about the innocence and yet the seduction in it…

He shucked off his jacket and made quick work of his bow tie. She scooted to the edge of the bed, kicked off her shoes, and helped him to unbutton his shirt. As he began to help her, he gave an amused look at her gladiator sandals on the floor. When he lowered the shirt from his shoulders, she was already ahead, hiking up his wife beater underneath. He pulled that over his head as well, kicking off his dress shoes.

Realizing he still had his mask on, he yanked that off, reaching out for her own.

Caroline flinched back, shaking her head once she was out of reach.

He cocked a surprised eyebrow but withdrew his hand, quickly moving on.

"You are vastly over-dressed," he muttered, leaning down for a kiss instead and then pulling her up and turning her around. His hands made quick work of the buttons but he cursed the entire time. "I have not missed these," he confessed before making a triumphant sound at finishing, followed by a groan of frustration when he saw the corset underneath. She gave a breathy giggle, a wide smile of amusement across her face. His lips twitched too at the humor. "I don't recall this being so difficult," he mused, though his hands were extremely deft at undoing her corset, experience clearly showing.

She turned her head enough to face him over her shoulder, cocking it to the side with a raised eyebrow. She wasn't sure how much of her expression he could see under the mask, but he seemed to get the gist.

"Good point. This was the norm back then. Now-a-days, clothes are much more easily removed." He smirked at that. "Perhaps I have gotten spoiled." A giving underneath his fingertips caused him to look down. "Ah. Done. Finally." He tugged the last bit of ribbon loose. Now the only thing holding up her dress was Caroline's arm across her chest. She turned around, still holding the dress up, and once she had his full attention, dropped it.

Typically, his eyes followed the gown's descent, taking in every revealed inch of skin as it did so. He raised a very interested eyebrow as he saw what she wore underneath.

She wore a white lace strapless, keyhole bra (which, yes, was a bit silly to wear under a corset, but she had been wearing it under her toga earlier and there was no way in hell she was going to leave her bra with some strange, creepy witch) and a pair of black panties with white lace trim. However, the front wasn't the best part of said panties. She quickly reached to her side to unclasp and remove the metal cages for her dress, tossing them a bit away so that they wouldn't accidently knock into them later.

Then, turning around, she heard him make a small choking sound and smiled in satisfaction. He now had an unobstructed view of the back of her panties which dipped low into a 'v' shape. Across the 'v' were thin pink ribbons crisscrossing into a sexy little bow. It probably didn't help matters that her panties were cheeky, thus showing off her toned ass.

"Definitely spoiled," he finally breathed out once he'd regained his ability to speak.

* * *

CUT FOR PORN - FOR FULL VERSION, CHECK MY LIVEJOURNAL

WARNING: I don't know how much the rest will make sense without the sexy parts that were cut. I'll try and explain and holes at the bottom, but it would be better to simply read the full version.

* * *

A ray of sunlight shone on her face. She gave a little whine, one eye opening to glare at the sun before turning around in bed to avoid the harsh light. It was then that she noticed the naked man in front of her and recalled the previous night.

Eyes wide, she craned her head to look around the room. Everything appeared to be the same. She looked down and carefully grabbed his hand and gently removed it from her waist. Waiting to make certain that he hadn't woken from the movement, she quietly crept out of bed. She winced at her state and crept into his bathroom and, running the tap as quietly as she could, cleaned herself off. Returning to the room, she was relieved to see Klaus still asleep. She tiptoed around to his side of the bed where he had thrown her clothes. It was surprisingly difficult to put her dress back on, especially in the dark. With a frown, she quickly realized that she couldn't button her dress let alone tie her corset. She couldn't walk out with her dress not done up.

With a frown, Caroline considered what to do when a thought occurred to her. She easily found Klaus' tuxedo jacket and put it on. With one hand gripping her dress to her chest and the other her sandals, she quietly crept out of Klaus' room. She shut the door delicately and used her sensitive hearing to make sure he didn't waken. Once certain she was safe, she used her vampire speed to make it to the front door where she put her shoes back on and walked out.

A check of her watch said it was nearly time to meet Stefan, so she made her way to the costume shop where they agreed to meet. She spent the entire walk nibbling on her lower lip and nervously going back and forth between regretting what she had done and wondering why she hadn't done it sooner. By the time she reached the shop, she had settled, deciding that she didn't regret sleeping with him, but hoping that now that it had been done, she could get him out of her mind.

"Caroline?" Stefan asked. He stood in front of the shop waiting, already dressed in his normal clothes. "Why are you still wearing your mask?" he wondered.

She lifted a hand to her face, having forgotten that it was even there. Removing it, she winced when Stefan gave her a weird look.

"You have lines all over your face from wearing it for so long," he said. He clearly expected some sort of explanation but she just sort of shrugged and walked past him into the shop.

Loretta-Delphine was behind the counter, Caroline's clothes in a neat, folded pile on top. Stefan stepped inside the shop right after Caroline.

"I went back to our hotel and grabbed our bags," he said, pointing to his duffel bag and her suitcase. "I didn't think you'd want to change back into your toga."

She gave him a grateful smile and immediately dug through her bag for something to wear and escaping to the changing room. She came out in a pair of black leggings and a colorful dress, her costume heavy in her hands.

She handed them over to Loretta who folded them carefully, putting them into a large bag and giving them back.

Caroline looked at her in confusion. "What?" she asked, her voice raspy. It was then that she realized that she hadn't spoken all night.

Stefan seemed to understand because he took the bag. "I bought these. Thought they'd make for a cool souvenir."

Caroline blinked, not sure how she felt about that. Yes, they would make a cool souvenir. The problem was that every time she looked at this gown, she would think of Klaus and this night and what happened between them. "Thank you," she said instead, both to him for buying it and Loretta for the rental to begin with. She grabbed her suitcase, Stefan his duffel, and the two headed for the car.

"So, have a good Halloween?" Stefan asked as they sped out of town.

Caroline thought on it. "Yes," she finally decided. "No regrets." He looked at her oddly for that comment but didn't say anything. "You?"

"Yeah," he said with a nod. "Met a girl."

"Oh, yeah?" Caroline asked with a smile, eager to hear more.

"Mm," he affirmed. "She seemed interested in me and she was surprisingly easy to talk to. I told her I had amnesia. She had never heard of a vampire with memory loss like that before. Anyway, her name was Rebekah."

Caroline started in surprise before beginning to laugh so hard, she was pretty sure she cried.

"What?" Stefan wondered. "What did I miss?"

The blonde just laughed harder, not calming down until they hit city limits. With a wistful smile, she replayed last night in her mind. Yes, she decided, it was a good idea to come to New Orleans. The way things she and Klaus had left it in Mystic Falls… It was like they were hanging on an edge. At least now, things were a bit more resolved. Maybe their story wasn't over, but at least they had ended a chapter.

Suddenly, a frown overcame her lips. Wait a minute… Last night… He hadn't known who she was; that was the whole point of the mask and not speaking… So were things resolved, for him at least? But wait… He had… He had… Holy crap! He had called out her name last night while they had been… He had known who she was! He had known all along!

Caroline gave a cry of frustrated anger, scaring the crap out of Stefan.

"That rat bastard!"

* * *

_Klaus smirked, staring down at sweet little Camille, still so naïve to his intentions towards her and more to the point, towards her boyfriend Marcel. He opened his mouth, about to ask her to dance, intent on slowly turning her against his protégé when a familiar scent filled the air._

_He turned his head sharply, following the scent's direction. He could vaguely hear Camille asking if he was alright, but he ignored her, intent on following the delicious scent of mango._

_He left the bartender behind, following the trail to the bar. With a frown, he scanned the crowd. There! Several feet in front of him… There she was._

_The blonde was gorgeous. She wore a blue gown fit for a queen, an apt description, if he did say so himself. Her hair was done up in a mess of braids and curls. She looked like a window into the past._

_He needed to see her face._

_He didn't dare to get his hopes up._

_In a flash, he was at her side. "Hello, love," he greeted. He saw her freeze, the tension blatant in every line of her body. She slowly turned around and he knew. u__He knew.__ /u_

_Her beautiful blue eyes, the familiar arch of her lips and the shape of her cheekbones…_

_He smiled at her, amused by her clear shock. He couldn't blame her however. He, too, was utterly stunned. Caroline. She was here. She was standing in front of him. "Cat got your tongue? That's alright, I can talk for the both of us." He couldn't help himself. He allowed his eyes to trail lower, taking her in once more. The blue of her gown brought out her eyes. The delicate lace made her look impossibly delicate and feminine, complimenting her pale skin. She was… she was something to behold, truly. A queen, stepped out of the past and into his future. "I love your dress. Very… authentic." He said this with a smirk, one that only grew wider as he watched her fidget slightly at his overture._

_Still, she said nothing, looking up at him warily._

_For a moment, Klaus frowned. Caroline wasn't one to stay silent. She spoke her mind, loudly and frequently. For a second, he felt a moment of doubt. "Why don't you introduce yourself, sweetheart?"_

_The indignant expression on her face was all it took to reassure him of this woman's identity. Silence or not, this was his Caroline._

_He raised an interested eyebrow as she turned her silence into a game. Smirking, he played along. However, he had every intention of winning of her little game. Preferably by making her speak. The best way would be by making her scream his name._

_The image of her splayed out naked beneath him vividly crossed his mind._

_He gave a small sigh. It was a hope, but one he realized he would be unlikely to attain anytime soon._

_No, the best he could hope for tonight was a decent conversation, one without accusation or fighting._

_He started by asking her to dance._

* * *

_**A/N: So for those who don't want to read the full version:**_

_**Basically, Caroline thought that she had Klaus fooled, but she really didn't. During sex, Klaus called out her name (meaning that he knew exactly who she was) and she didn't notice until she was remembering while talking to Stefan. **  
_


End file.
